


scars and bruises

by roccoco



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, JUST, M/M, Mild underage drinking, Mutual Pining, NaruSasu - Freeform, Pining, Slow Burn, childhood friends to rivals to best friends rivals to lovers, different povs bc i can, just mild tho dw, lots of pining, naruto calls sasuke nerd, sasuke calls naruto usuratonkachi, taka as friends, thats it thats the plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23294020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roccoco/pseuds/roccoco
Summary: When Naruto was a kid, he would constantly lie to the concerned teachers who asked about his scars and bruises. But, after a certain boy appeared to save him, the shame that constantly followed him was replaced by something much nicer.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Karin, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 137





	scars and bruises

**Author's Note:**

> shout-out to my friend diana for being my proof reader. my work improved greatly bc of her, i hope she'll enjoy it.

When Naruto was a kid, he would constantly lie to the concerned teachers who asked about his scars and bruises. It’s not like he was scared to snitch on the ones who made them, but it ashamed him to not be able to defend himself -- of course, he did not understand at the time that three against one put him in utter disadvantage, even if he could defend himself well enough. But, after a certain boy appeared to save him, the shame that constantly followed him was replaced by something much nicer.

He could remember the pain vividly. It was a cold December evening and he’d gone to the park all by himself. He sat on the swings and watched the people hanging their Christmas decorations peacefully for hours. It was getting dark when he heard the familiar voices.

“Get out of the swing. You’ve been there too long.”

It was the same kid who always bothered him at school and Naruto noticed his two friends sticking close behind him with twisted grins on their faces.

“There are two free swings right next to me.” Naruto motioned towards them, not leaving his seat, “Why don’t you take one of those?”

“Because I want yours, loser.”

Naruto wasn’t in the mood to reply. The festive season ironically didn’t make him feel as cheerful as the other seven-year olds. In fact, it only brought him down to know that he was most likely spending it alone, his godfather, away and his parents… well, his parents, gone.

“Oi, c’mon, you wimp,” the bully said, annoyed, “Give it to me, teacher’s pet!”

“Teacher’s pet?!” Naruto found himself asking. He had never told the teachers how he always got punched by the three kids, and it’s not like he was the best student either. So, out of all the insults and names they could come up with, why _teacher’s pet_?

“Daiki saw you the other day,” he pointed at one of his smirking sidekicks, “going for ramen with Iruka-sensei!”

Oh.

“You go and do the poor orphan act with him so that he doesn’t fail you, don’t you?! You teacher’s pet!”

That was enough for Naruto, who jumped off the swing and lunged forward at the bully. He was quickly grabbed from behind by the other two and held down to the ground to the point where he could barely move his legs in a weak attempt to get away from their grasps. He saw the ‘leader’ -- if you could call him that -- grab a particularly hefty, sharp twig that had fallen from the tree in the park, and approach him with a dark smile on his face.

Naruto’s head turned in every direction, searching for another human soul that could help him get away, and finding none. It was already dark, and all of the kids had gone home with their respective parents.

“Teacher’s pet. You’re just like a dog. Iruka-sensei’s little dog!” And, holding Naruto’s head --which, by now, was completely drenched by tears-- down, he started tracing lines across his cheeks with the twig in his hand. Naruto closed his eyes and whimpered from the pain in his face. “Teacher’s pet, we’ll add you whiskers so you look like a dog!”

Suddenly, the grip on his legs loosened and the rubbing of the twig on his face stopped with a halt. Naruto’s eyes opened to find the three bullies staring at someone he couldn’t see, wide-eyed and with their mouths hanging open.

“Three against one? That’s cowardice,” a voice said. It sounded faintly familiar to Naruto, but with all of the pain in his face he couldn’t concentrate on remembering to whom it belonged.

“Uch-Uchiha!” said the one who was grabbing Naruto’s head, clearly surprised by this appearance, “Get out of here! Go away! It’s none of your business!”

“Oh yeah, I’ll run away and call the police on you, which, mind you, my father is the head of,” the voice said arrogantly. Naruto finally realized it was Sasuke’s -- a quiet kid from his classroom who always did everything perfectly and wasn’t exactly nice to Naruto most of the time. “You’ll get locked up before you even finish primary school. Wouldn’t that be funny?”

The kids scrambled to their feet, quickly picking their stuff up and forgetting about Naruto.

“And, by the way,” Sasuke yelled as they ran away, “it’s _cats_ who have whiskers! _NOT DOGS!_ ”

Next thing Naruto knew, he was at his own house with Sasuke helping him clean the injuries on his cheeks. _That’s gonna leave a mark,_ Naruto thought bitterly as he scanned his face in the mirror. What would he say when people asked him why he had whisker-shaped scars on his face? A bruise could be easily hid and, if anyone saw it, he could say he fell down the stairs or something like that, he was clumsy, after all, but this? This was a curse he’d have to live with his whole life.

“It’s not _your_ fault,” Sasuke commented, as if he could read Naruto’s mind. “They were three. Of course they were stronger than you.”

Naruto glanced down. His clothes were a mess, his hair was damp from hitting the snow on the park’s ground and his hands had small scars all over them. Of course he was weaker, and Sasuke… Sasuke had been so _strong_ , so _brave_ compared to him.

“What I mean is,” Sasuke continued, noticing Naruto’s uneasiness, “it was pretty cowardly of them to gang up against one person,” and then, he added cautiously, “especially you.”

“Especially me?”

“If they did that to me, my mom would be at the school first thing in the morning asking the principal how he let kids like that into the same classroom as her son.” Sasuke chuckled at the image in his head, then grimaced, “But you…” he trailed off. He didn’t have the heart to say ‘you don’t even have parents’, and he couldn’t find a better way to phrase it either. He figured the other boy, as stupid as he could seem sometimes, would still get it.

Naruto nodded, but wasn’t convinced.

“They wouldn’t gang up on you because they’re afraid of you, though, believe it,” he said sadly, “It makes sense. You did kinda save my butt out there, and you didn’t even have to fight. You scared them off.”

Sasuke arched a brow at Naruto’s raw honesty.

“I just imagined what my older brother, Itachi, would’ve done,” he said quietly, “he always knows what to in any situation, my older brother. So I guess it seemed right.” He finished with a shrug and decided to change the topic. “Do you have a phone I could use to call my parents?”

Naruto blinked.

“You’re not really calling the police on them, are you?”

“I’m calling my parents to tell them I’m staying over at your place tonight, _usuratonkachi._ ”

**________________________________________**

The rumors spread fast, and to be honest, Naruto wouldn’t have minded the distance between him and Sasuke as long as he hadn’t been such an asshole about it.

After the incident on the park, a friendship between the two boys had quickly blossomed. Naruto wasn’t scared of the bullies anymore, after all, Sasuke was always next to him now, always with a witty response that was far too impressive for a third-grader. Naruto didn’t feel ashamed of his scars, if anyone asked, Sasuke would glare at them, as if to say ‘mind your own business,’ and Naruto wouldn’t have to answer.

He even introduced him to his godfather, Jiraiya!

And he started ignoring him after fourth grade started?!

Soon, Jiraiya told him what he’d seen in the news: the whole Uchiha family had been murdered by Sasuke’s older brother, Itachi. Naruto couldn’t believe it when he heard it, but at least that explained his friend’s strange behavior; he probably needed time to be alone, but he’d talk to Naruto again soon enough, right?

Wrong.

Not only did Sasuke continue to ignore him, but he was also mean towards him whenever he tried to approach him. Naruto tried to be patient and bond with other kids in his class in the meantime, but one day, he snapped. If Sasuke wanted Naruto to fight with him, he would fight with him.

And so, the rivalry began.

**________________________________________**

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sasuke called calmly at the middle-school teacher, with his hand raised, “Can I get a new partner? My work will be slowed down by my current one.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. Typical Sasuke, acting all cool and collected so people would admire his maturity, when he was actually asking to change partners because he couldn’t suck it up and work with Naruto. _Real mature, Sasuke, real mature,_ Naruto thought.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with _Uchiha_ of all people, but yeah, Kakashi-sensei, can’t we switch partners?” Naruto wasn’t known for being mature anyway, and wasn’t intending on being, either.

“No.”

“But-“

“As you can see, I’m trying to read at the moment,” Kakashi offered them a smile that both Sasuke and Naruto knew, was deadly, “So go continue with your work and try not to blow up the school in the meantime, will you?”

There was a beat. And then, “Yes, sir.”

That afternoon, they went to Sasuke’s apartment to work on the project, as Sasuke claimed he didn’t want to invade Naruto’s likely mess of a home. Naruto wanted to retaliate, to yell that his apartment wasn’t a mess and that he knew that because _he’d been there before_. But, no one ever mentioned those six months that Naruto and Sasuke had been close, especially not them, and so Naruto bit his tongue and agreed to go to Sasuke’s.

It was weird, going to Sasuke’s again after four and a half years. The place itself hadn’t changed a bit, but it felt darker, lonelier and emptier without a family to fill it with sound and light. He could vaguely remember playing with Sasuke and Itachi in the living room, the two brothers bickering over the smallest things, Fugaku asking him if he would stay for dinner while Mikoto cooked. They were a very traditional, conservative family, but they were always nice to the hurricane that Naruto was.

Instead, silence welcomed them this time and Naruto was reminded of his own home.

The assignment they were doing for Kakashi involved a book they had read for the class, _Animal Farm_ by George Orwell. They were supposed to explain how it was an allegory for the Russian Revolution, elaborate on its most important events, explain the meaning of each character and who they represented and, lastly, interpret the ending. Needless to say, Naruto -- who had read a summary of the book on the internet -- was more than lost.

He needed a B to pass the subject after completely bonking his last test. He remembered Kakashi’s deadly smile and shivered, his eyes wandering to Sasuke, who was looking up information about the Russian Revolution on the internet. Naruto couldn’t believe his luck. If he was going to get paired up with one of the smart kids, he would’ve preferred Sakura.

“Are you not planning on doing anything?” Sasuke asked after a while.

“It’s not like I understood the novel, y’know,” Naruto sighed. He sneaked a glance at Sasuke and then added shyly, “I was hoping you’d explain it to me once we got here, since you’re such a nerd and all.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that, “Tch. You should’ve paid attention in class, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto’s breath hitched and he looked down. Sasuke noticed, glancing melancholically at Naruto’s cheeks, where the scars were still visible.

“What?” He asked, since Naruto had fallen into an uncharacteristic silence.

Naruto knew Sasuke was only pretending not to know why he wasn’t replying.

“You always used to call me that when we were,” he admitted in a small voice, stopping himself before saying the word ‘friends’, “-kids. It was weird, hearing it again.”

Sasuke went quiet for a moment, then asked, “Did people bother you because of your scars?”

His expression was unreadable to Naruto. He couldn’t understand if Sasuke was being nice because the subject had been brought to the table, if he was trying to get along with him for the sake of the assignment or if he was merely curious about his ex-best friend’s life.

“No,” Naruto lied. “Sometimes. It’s nothing.”

“I was in the wrong,” said Sasuke abruptly, “I should’ve explained that I wanted -- that, I needed to be alone after…” and he trailed off, but Naruto could guess the ending of the sentence.

“I _know_.”

Because Naruto _knew_ it was Sasuke’s way of saying sorry.

**________________________________________**

Most people knew that Sasuke Uchiha had gone through a sort of emo phase during his first year in high-school. The way he dressed, the way he styled his hair -- to be fair, he’d never gone as far as Gaara, a freshman from Suna who always wore a thick layer of pitch black eyeliner all over his eyelids, but Naruto could have sworn that he once heard Sasuke blow-drying his hair one morning.

Because, of course, many things had changed after Naruto and Sasuke had mended their friendship. For one, if either of them ever felt lonely, they could simply crash at the other’s place, since both lived alone -- except for great-uncle Jiraiya’s rare visits to Naruto. With only a few months, this had escalated to almost living together, which had quickly resulted in Naruto having his own drawer at Sasuke’s and vice-versa. Not that they would tell anyone about it. In everyone else’s eyes, the two boys were the least likely people to ever get along in the entire world, even though Naruto knew that the reality was quite different. But, in everyone else’s eyes, Sasuke had _also_ just gone through an ‘emo phase’ when Naruto knew Sasuke had gone through so much more.

Some nights, Sasuke would wake up drenched in sweat and tears, with red-rimmed eyes and an uncontrollable heartbeat. The first times this happened, neither of them knew what to do, but, eventually, Naruto learnt how to calm him down. He had to, because seeing Sasuke ache made him feel a terrible pang in his chest and he couldn’t stand it.

Those nights, Naruto would let Sasuke climb into his bed (or climb into Sasuke’s, depending on whose house they were staying at), hold his hand tightly until his breathing pace became normal. Then he would pull him in for a hug, and let him talk. He didn’t necessarily talk about the dream, sometimes he would just ramble about something that was stressing him out lately, and Naruto would listen to it all. Then he’d talk about nothing special until Sasuke fell asleep, and get in his own bed as quietly as he could. Sasuke needed space after nights like that, Naruto assumed.

They never really talked about it, they _were_ close friends and so, Naruto preferred to not overthink it. Sasuke was a rather shy person and Naruto didn’t want to meddle in his business. Being there for him, supporting him unconditionally, was the best he could do, as Sasuke’s friend.

And he was best friends with Sasuke, sure, but they were also rivals, which landed them on trouble more times than either of them would care to admit. However, Naruto had other friends at school, friends who he hanged out with and laughed with, the friends he had made when Sasuke wasn’t speaking to him. Naruto considered them family and had tried introduce Sasuke to that family many times, but his efforts were in vain. It seemed like the bond he had with his friends were not the same as the bond that he and Sasuke shared.

**________________________________________**

The first time the subject was brought to the table was during a party, in the summer between second and last year of high-school.

Sakura -- the designated driver of the night -- had been patiently listening to a very drunk Naruto rant for half an hour about how he didn´t know why his friendship with Sasuke felt different from all of his other friendships. Nonetheless, her very sober patience had a limit too.

“Naruto,” she interrupted him loudly, to catch his attention, “Haven’t you considered the fact that you obviously have a major crush on the guy?”

And at that, Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. He had always sort of admired Sasuke, after all the bastard _was_ good at literally everything. And, sure, he was objectively attractive, with his silky black hair and his piercing onyx eyes that could see right through him; his soft skin that Naruto would sometimes get to touch when Sasuke had a bad dream, and _oh_ _how he hated himself_ _for enjoying how he got to hold the boy in his moment of vulnerability-_

But ‘crush’ didn’t feel like the right word.

He spent the rest of the night sobering up and trying to figure out his feelings. Sulking in a corner with a glass of water at a party wasn’t like him, but since he seemed to be concentrating, Shikamaru and Kiba didn’t question him. Still, when Sakura tapped him on the shoulder to tell him she’d drive them all to their respective houses, it hadn’t been enough time for Naruto to find the right word.

It was only when he closed the door of his bedroom and saw Sasuke lying on his mattress half-asleep that he completely understood.

“How was the party?” the older boy asked quietly, opening his eyes slowly.

“It was… interesting,” Naruto said in a hushed voice, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“I wasn’t asleep anyway,” Sasuke replied, and he didn’t need to say that he couldn’t sleep all by himself for Naruto to get it -- so he mumbled something about how he had probably been awake doing ‘nerd’ things, and added that Sasuke didn’t need to explain because he wouldn’t be able to understand as he, Naruto, was not a nerd like him.

Finally, as he tucked himself into his own bed, he turned his gaze longingly at the boy next to him and repeated inside his head the three words that had struck him as soon as he had stepped into the bedroom.

_‘I love you.’_

**________________________________________**

By the way Sasuke was glancing continuously to the book under this desk, Naruto knew he was definitely not paying attention. He felt a smile tugging at his lips; _fucking nerd_ , reading a book instead of using his phone like any normal bored teenager in class. He couldn’t blame him for being bored though, Yamato’s history lesson was even duller than usual -- that was, after all, why he had chosen watching Sasuke as his source of entertainment for the rest of the period. Denying that he was a little disappointed that his crush preferred a stupid book over him was an argument he decided he was too tired to have with his brain that day.

As if he’d heard his thoughts, Sasuke suddenly glanced up and shifted his gaze at the blond questioningly. Making sure Yamato wasn’t looking at him, Naruto mocked the teacher’s expressions silently, while Sasuke pretended to fall asleep on the table over-exaggeratedly for a few seconds. Both boys had to bite their knuckles to muffle their laughter, but fortunately the class was finished in less than five minutes and they were released to their lunchtime break.

“So,” Sasuke started as they walked towards their lockers (a mere pit-stop before heading for the cafeteria), “Did he say anything important? And by ‘important,’ I mean, do we have a test or homework, or something?”

“How am I supposed to know? You’re the nerd here,” Naruto sighed. Sasuke smirked at him.

“You would know if you hadn’t been staring and trying to get a reaction from me the whole period when you knew I was trying to read my book.”

Naruto tried to hide his blush under his hands, knowing he’d become a flustered mess at Sasuke’s stupidly accurate comment. “Well, _you_ would know if you weren’t such a pretentious asshole! _Look at me, I’m Sasuke, I read books in class instead of paying attention because I am an intellectual emo_ ,” he mocked in a high-pitched voice that sounded nothing like Sasuke’s, but managed to make him snicker nonetheless. He muttered something about being too tired to pay attention, before Naruto asked him, “What were you reading anyway?”

Sasuke fished his book inside of his satchel and handed it to Naruto, who couldn’t understand the title as it was written in English.

“They’re short stories and a few poems. I’m exhausted and it’s an easy read,” Sasuke explained, grabbing the object from the younger boy’s hands and placing it inside of his bag, which he then threw inside his locker carelessly. Naruto knew Sasuke had had a rough night, but wasn’t going to comment on it. “Maybe I’ll lend it to you once I finish it, but I doubt you’ll understand anything with how poor your English is, usuratonkachi.”

“Shut up, nerd!”

They made their way to the cafeteria and, after they had successfully obtained their food, found a table where they could sit by themselves. The atmosphere of the cafeteria was, unsurprisingly, sultry, as it was packed with teenagers to the brim and the few open windows let in more light than air; so Naruto took off his sweater (he was always complaining about that sweater, saying he’d rather wear his regular clothes than the _hideous_ school uniform) and started eating his mashed potatoes with whatever-the-hell was next to it.

Sasuke finished eating quickly -- or decided that he’d rather sleep than eat at that moment, the other boy figured, because in a swift movement he’d grabbed the discarded sweater and placed it beneath his head, using it as a pillow. Naruto chuckled when he saw someone had written _‘Orochimaru-sensei is a little bitch’_ on the table, but sighed as he wondered how not to die of boredom while his friend got his rest. 

Fortunately, the entertainment came to him this time.

“Naruto! Guess what?!” Kiba was always loud like that, Naruto had a feeling Sasuke was about to growl at the boy for breaking the comfortable silence they’d been sharing. “Shino’s parents are out of town all weekend.”

“Ooh,” Naruto grinned, “When’s the party, then?”

“Friday, 8 o’clock,” Kiba shot finger-guns at him as he got up to return to his own table, then eyed the sleeping boy, “Sasuke can come too, if he wants to.”

“I’ll find a way to convince the nerd this time, believe it!”

At that, Sasuke’s eyes shot open. “Excuse me?”

“C’mon, Sasuke, please! It’ll be fun!”

He shot him his best puppy eyes and innocent smile in the hopes that his friend wouldn’t immediately turn down the offer. He knew he’d won when Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes again, a sure sign that he wasn’t going to argue.

“I’ll think about it, maybe.”

**________________________________________**

Friday rolled around in no time, and Sasuke wasn’t letting himself get convinced by Naruto’s antics. He avoided the blond as much as he could, changed the subject whenever Sasuke’s social life -- or lack thereof -- was mentioned, and denied the invitation if Naruto, as a last resource, tried asking him again.

He was thankful to whatever-was-up-there that most of his classes were Naruto-free on Fridays, so he didn’t have to put up with constant pestering and insistence from the boy. Instead, he was spending last period in the lab with Orochimaru -- who, albeit a sort of eccentric fellow, had taken a recent liking to the Uchiha. He was also thankful for his surprisingly decent desk partners. Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo were the only people who could say they genuinely got along with him, apart from Naruto, of course.

However, it seemed like everyone was enjoying getting on his nerves that day.

“So, you’re _not_ going to the party,” the fuchsia-haired girl pouted.

“For the last time, no, I’m not going to the fucking party, stop being annoying,” Sasuke replied, “Why do you even care so much? You’ve always gone to parties without me.”

He heard a soft chuckle from behind him and he turned his gaze towards a smirking Suigetsu and a frowning Juugo, who sighed before the lanky boy started talking.

“Well, you see, Karin here seems to have a crush,” Suigetsu started, before Sasuke interrupted him.

“I thought you were a lesbian?”

“I don’t have a crush on you, dickhead!” Karin spat. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything so as to let her explain, “You know Sakura Haruno, don’t you?”

And oh _, did he know Sakura._ She was only Naruto’s _other_ best friend, which didn’t make Sasuke the least bit jealous. Nope. Not at all. Not even when Naruto had a crush on her in junior-high and completely ignored his existence for a month until he was rejected by the vicious beast that Sakura was, in Sasuke’s eyes. But, what truly made the Uchiha hate Sakura was how she’d confessed to _him_ , right after breaking his best friend’s heart. Sasuke wasn’t a bad person, he knew how to let a girl down gently, but he was ruthless as he turned her down just as harshly as she had rejected the blond.

Apparently, Sakura had changed since middle school, grown, whatever that meant. Sasuke wasn’t one to let things go so easily, unlike Naruto. He still found her extremely annoying.

“ _That’s_ who you like?”

“I know right!” Karin said dreamily, “So out of my league!”

Sasuke hummed pensively. He knew Sakura had come out as bisexual a couple of months ago, but he wasn’t sure if she was still single, so he made a mental note to ask Naruto about it later. Then, he said:

“How does that have anything to do with me going to Shino’s party?”

An awkward silence settled between the four teenagers as Sasuke’s ‘friends’ -- if he could call them that -- shot nervous glances at each other.

“She wants you to be her wingman at the party, basically,” said Juugo.

“Absolutely not.”

“Dude, c’mon!” said Suigetsu, smiling smugly as usual, “She’s literally your boyfriend’s BFF!”

“Not my boyfriend.”

The three of them rolled their eyes at Sasuke, who stared at them in shock. He was telling the truth! Even if he liked Naruto, which he was pretty sure he didn’t, the guy was as straight as a ruler, and they weren’t together. He told them so, and a few minutes of arguing later, Karin decided to put an end to it.

“Boyfriend or boy, friend,” she made a clear pause between the two words, “Talk to him? Please? Tell him it’ll be a favor for his dear little cousin, Karin Uzumaki!”

Sasuke often forgot those two were actually related. “Fine. Don’t complain if things don’t go the way you expected them to…” he said and then mumbled, mostly to himself, “You never know what’s gonna happen when _he’s_ around.”

**________________________________________**

The next time he saw Naruto, they were going to the blond’s place to hang out after school, at least until it was time for the party. He hadn’t found a way to convince Sasuke, even though he had tried. It had been a decent attempt, yet the goal remained unachieved. Sasuke felt just a little guilty, as he wouldn’t be able to help Karin woo Sakura, but figured she was probably better off without such an annoying girl. Or maybe, _maybe_ he was just trying to fight back his second thoughts. Was it Karin who was making him doubt, or was it Naruto’s pathetic pout when he denied the invitation once more? Either way, he had already said he wasn’t going, and that was final.

They walked together towards the school parking lot -- Jiraiya had finally let Naruto borrow his car. Sasuke argued it was a waste of gas and a contribution to global warming: the school was close enough to his department building to just walk, plus, the roads were always full of cars at that time of the day. Naruto, who had been strangely quiet, suddenly halted, a dangerous grin playing on his lips. Sasuke rolled his eyes. _‘Here we go again…’_

“Ne, Sasuke,” he started as usual, “If it’s so efficient to just walk, why don’t you prove it?” Sasuke raised a brow at him, he wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. “You walk, I’ll drive. If I get home first, you’re coming to the party, and vice-versa. Whaddaya say?”

Sasuke hummed. “I can’t believe you know the meaning of the word vice-versa, that’s what I say.”

“C’mon, you nerd,” Naruto whined, “I’m being serious now. Or are you too scared you’ll lose?”

Boy, did Naruto know how to push all of Sasuke’s buttons.

“You’re on.”

At first, Sasuke seriously thought he might have made the wrong choice. Naruto sped off while Sasuke hastened to his apartment, never running -- he couldn’t give Naruto the impression that he was worried about losing. However, after no more than two blocks, they were met with a red traffic light, where at least ten cars were already waiting in line. Sasuke smirked at Naruto through the windshield, and was flipped off in return.

By the time Naruto got to the door of the apartment building, Sasuke had already been waiting for two long minutes.

“Damn it!” Naruto groaned, unknowingly giving Sasuke his most effective puppy-eyes, “There’s no way I’m convincing you now.”

A sad Naruto was an annoying Naruto, Sasuke thought as they entered Naruto’s apartment. He also thought about how much Naruto wanted him to go, and how heartbroken he appeared when Sasuke turned him down. Karin had also asked him to help her out with her crush… How bad were parties, again? Sasuke couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to one, maybe they weren’t as terrible as he thought they were. Maybe he could do this for his few friends.

_‘Fuck it.’_

“Huh?” Naruto said, two hours later, when Sasuke suddenly appeared inside his room in nice clothes and a little bag in his hand, right after taking a shower. “What are you doing?”

“My makeup,” Sasuke replied casually, taking a seat next to Naruto’s desk and pulling out a small mirror from the bag.

“You’re going out?” Naruto stared at him, puzzled, and Sasuke pointedly ignored the way his brain could only form the word _‘cute,’_ at that second.

“Well, duh,” Sasuke made eye-contact with him and suppressed the grin forming on his lips. He couldn’t laugh yet, he couldn’t _smile_ because of Naruto’s dumb face. “To the party you wanted me to go?” He deadpanned, as if he hadn’t been rejecting the invitations for three days.

Naruto said nothing, but the way his face brightened as he dashed to the bathroom to shower was all Sasuke needed to know he had made the right decision. The list of things he’d do to see that expression on Naruto’s face was endless, but he would never admit that to anyone -- especially himself.

The eyes were the trickiest part of his makeup routine. He was going for an edgy but simple look, so as to not give the impression that he cared about how people saw him while also looking cool and a bit intimidating. And of course Naruto just had to walk in when he was about to apply the eyeliner. With the blond distracting him, smudging the dark liquid was much more likely than before. Naruto, surprisingly, stayed quiet -- which was good, since it allowed him to focus on the line he was creating on his eyelid -- but Sasuke could feel his stare as he sat down on the other side of the desk, right in front of him.

He decided to speak right after his eyeliner had been successfully applied. “What? You’ve never seen a guy wear makeup before? You think it’s weird?”

Naruto seemed taken aback by this question. “I just thought you looked pretty, that’s all,” he replied with his usual honesty that others confused for bluntness, and Sasuke hoped his blush was hidden under the foundation on his skin. Then, as a second thought, Naruto added, “Why would it be weird?”

A knot formed inside Sasuke’s throat. Of course he’d just accused his best friend, the first person he’d come out to, of believing makeup was a product only girls were meant to enjoy; and of course, Naruto hadn’t even entertained that thought.

“Some people think it’s weird for guys to like makeup, sorry I snapped at you,” Sasuke muttered, an idea popping into his head, “I can do yours, if you want; I have a pallet that came with this glittery orange eyeshadow that I never use.”

Naruto’s face brightened again.

**________________________________________**

Sasuke was actually having a good time, somehow. Or maybe it was the couple of glasses of beer he’d had. He wasn’t even tipsy, but he figured it was probably better to stop drinking just in case. He was sitting on the staircase, from where he had a good view of the dancefloor. Naruto was dancing in a circle with his friends, next to that quiet Hyuuga girl he recognized from his literature class -- he was pretty sure she was Neji Hyuuga’s cousin, as it was a pretty rare surname and they looked alike; the biggest difference being this girl’s artificial blue hair. Sasuke couldn’t quite remember her name, but she seemed to be trying to get closer to Naruto.

As the song changed to a different -- probably romantic -- one, people automatically switched to couples. Sasuke couldn’t understand how they all suddenly decided who to dance with in a few short seconds, the reaction seemed almost robotic in his eyes. But before he could process it, Naruto was approaching him with a sleepy smile and Sasuke knew exactly what was about to happen. _‘Maybe it’s not as strange or robotic as I thought, then.’_

“Naruto.” Sasuke looked at him in dead in the eye, hoping to get his point across. “I don’t dance.”

_“I know you can!”_ Naruto sang back to him. Of course he’d reference High School Musical.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let himself get dragged by the arm into the dancefloor. It wasn’t the slowest of songs, but it was clearly meant for people to dance in pairs rather than groups. He swayed awkwardly trying to find a rhythm, searching for help in Naruto’s eyes. It was no secret that Sasuke The Emo Uchiha wasn’t a talented dancer.

“Follow my lead, nerd,” Naruto laughed, taking both of his hands and guiding him as the song became more upbeat. “God, I can’t believe you’re actually dancing right now. Please don’t tell me you’re drunk or something like that.”

“Why do you ask?” Sasuke wasn’t drunk, he was only feeling a little bold. “Were you planning on kissing me?”

Naruto’s eyes went wide, and Sasuke started to forget his surroundings, getting lost in the light-blue sea of his irises. The silence only lasted a few seconds before Naruto, ever the daring, smirked back at him.

“Actually, I was.” Boy, was that unexpected. “Are you too scared now? Are you backing out?”

Sasuke could feel his heart hammering his ribs with so much force it was scary, and he hoped that he wasn’t blushing too hard -- it was pretty obvious when his face was flushed, since his complexion was so pale. He felt Naruto’s hands leave his own and settle on his shoulders. He couldn’t escape now, especially not when he had started this.

He gulped.

“You talk too much, _usuratonkachi_ ,” Sasuke spoke with his eyes piercing into Naruto’s dangerously, their bodies moving closer together. He bit his lip before he finished his sentence, “And yet, I don’t see you doing anything.”

But he suddenly felt Naruto’s hands grabbing the collar of his t-shirt, yanking him forward, and their lips crashed together. It was frantic at first, unabashedly very Naruto, hurried and almost desperate, as if there was a fire he was meant to put out. But as it slowed down to a leisurely pace, it became more Sasuke, like a fire gently spreading and lightning up an entire forest. He noticed his arms had been dangling on his sides uselessly since Naruto had let go of his hands, so he enveloped his shoulders with them in a hug, hoping he would never have to disconnect from the other again.

Eventually the need for air made it impossible for them to keep it up, and Sasuke distantly noticed the song coming to an end. He loosened his arms to allow the blond to move away, but found himself hiding his face in the crook of his neck, one of Naruto’s hands securely around his waist and the other delicately running through his hair. His vision was cloudy and his mind was in a haze -- he supposed it was from the lack of oxygen in his brain -- but it wasn’t a horrible feeling; sort of like waking up from a long, funny dream.

Their ‘moment’ was interrupted by a very drunk Suigetsu, who Sasuke wanted no less than to strangle at that second, friendship be damned.

“Oi, oi, Sasuke,” he started, and the two boys quickly let go of each other. “Karin wants your help with the Sakura issue, y’know- sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Karin? Sakura issue?” Naruto questioned, bewildered, “Is she seriously pulling a prank on my best friend? I’m making uncle Nagato give her a lecture next time I go visit them-”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and cut him off, “She’s not pulling anything on her.”

“Yeah, except her lips on her own,” Suigetsu slurred out, in a sing-song voice. Naruto seemed to understand, and left for his _other best friend_. Once Naruto was out of earshot, Suigetsu gave Sasuke a knowing glance and started giggling, “ _Straight as a ruler_ , my ass.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but laugh, too.

A while later, as he was walking towards a room where he agreed on playing truth or dare in -- only because Naruto did too, clearly -- he caught sight of a mixture of two different shades of pink hair tangled, and inwardly cheered for Karin as she heatedly made out with her crush.

Inside the room were Ino, Naruto, the Hyuuga girl again, Shikamaru and his girlfriend, the exchange kid from Suna who was even more emo than Sasuke, Suigetsu, Kiba, Sai (to Sasuke’s dismay), Lee and the girl who always seemed to be making sure the hyperactive boy didn’t accidentally kill himself, but Sasuke didn’t know her name. He figured the group could be worse, and plopped between Naruto and the Hyuuga.

A couple of rounds passed and Sasuke was fortunately not asked anything. However, it was Sai’s turn to ask the questions, and he was staring right at the blond next to him.

“Naruto,” he called, “Truth or dare?”

Naruto seemed to think before answering, “I really don’t want to do anything embarrassing that will end up as a video on all of your Instagram stories, and I’m pretty much an open book, so truth,” he explained smugly, “Let’s see if you can get any juicy gossip out of me.”

But something was wrong, because Sai didn’t seem fazed by that argument. “Fine, then. What’s the story behind those marks on your cheeks?”

That motherfucker seriously had to go and ask the one thing Naruto had always been closed off about! Sasuke would’ve rather been asked how he felt for his friend in front of everyone than having to see Naruto suffer like that in public.

“C’mon! You’ve always had them, you’ve gotta share,” Ino added drunkenly.

“It’s probably a cool story,” the Hyuuga next to Sasuke chirped in shyly.

“Maybe he’s just a very intense phanny,” Gaara reasoned.

He had an idea.

“Naruto won’t tell you because it involves me,” Sasuke lied as he eyed the blond carefully, a hand dropping on Naruto’s arm protectively, “But it’s okay, _usuratonkachi_ , I’ve already told you it’s no big deal.”

“Sasuke, what are you doi-”

“He had to help _me_ fight off these kids who wouldn’t leave me alone in elementary, but he ended up getting hurt in the process, as usual.”

“Guys, don’t listen to him, that’s not-”

“He won’t tell anyone because he’s such a good guy that he doesn’t want to take credit for saving me.” But apparently his idea wasn’t as good as he thought, because Naruto was storming off. “Oi! Where are you going?!”

Sasuke followed Naruto through the halls, focusing on the bright blond hair and trying his best not to lose him. It seemed like it had been days since that kiss they had shared only a couple of hours before. He quickened his pace once he saw Naruto heading towards the door.

“Go away,” Naruto said as Sasuke knocked on his car door. His voice sounded strained, as if he was keeping himself from screaming, “I don’t want to see you right now.”

“You’re my ride, though.”

The first few minutes were spent in silence, and Naruto’s voice startled Sasuke, who had started to drift off against the car window.

“Why would you lie to everyone like that?”

Sasuke thought about his reply carefully. “I know you don’t like talking about it, and they didn’t seem like they would back off without a satisfactory answer.”

“I could’ve handled it myself. I did that pretty well when you were being a little bitch to me, y’know.”

They hadn’t really had any major fights, apart from the time they spent as ‘enemies’ in middle school; in fact, he didn’t think he’d ever seen Naruto this mad before, so Sasuke wasn’t exactly sure how to handle the situation.

“I already apologized for that,” he said quietly, “It looked like you needed help so I helped. That’s what best friends do, isn’t it?”

“Well I didn’t need your help! You were wrong! I know you don’t get to hear this very often but you were _wrong_ , Sasuke! I would’ve rather told the story than have you save me again, ‘cause I don’t need-” and Naruto’s voice broke, but he refused to look at Sasuke, “I don’t need anyone saving me! Especially you!”

Sasuke stared at Naruto as the thickest tears fell from his eyes. There were so many things he felt at the same time, so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t. Not when Naruto was sobbing, not when Sasuke himself was close to crying. He couldn’t risk speaking and breaking down mid-sentence, not just because he was prideful, but because he didn’t want to make it all about himself. Naruto had a right to be mad at that moment, even if Sasuke was itching to tell him _, ‘You saved me too.’_

A couple of blocks later, Naruto parked the car in front of Sasuke’s apartment building. Something felt out of place.

“I thought we were staying at yours, tonight?” he asked, but Naruto’s gaze was fixed on the wheel.

“I think it’s better if you go home for now.”

Without another word, Sasuke got out of the car and went inside the building, where, after so many nights spent in company, his empty home awaited him. And, several minutes later, when he was sure that Naruto was no longer going to turn back and come for him; only then, he allowed himself to cry.

**________________________________________**

Naruto woke up with his head throbbing the next morning. He decided it must be from dehydration and hopped of the bed, pointedly ignoring the pangs he felt inside his chest from the anguish he was trying to suppress. Nonetheless, he was met with a surprise as he walked into the common area in his house.

“Rough night?”

Naruto stared dumbfounded at the breakfast that was served on the table -- scrambled eggs, bacon, rice, orange juice, coffee and milk, avocado toasts; and behind all of that, sitting on one of the chairs next to the table, none other than-

“Pervy Sage!” Naruto ran at his great uncle and hugged him tightly. “Ugh, don’t even get me started. But first, food!”

Jiraiya chuckled heartily at his antics, already used to the boy’s personality. Naruto ate in silence, while Jiraiya told him about his latest adventures and research for his upcoming novel -- which always involved things Naruto would rather not know, in all honesty, but heard because his great uncle made him happy regardless. He decided that _had_ to be the best breakfast he’d had in a month, or maybe even more. It helped improve his mood greatly, and once they were both done, he took a deep breath and decided to start talking.

“So,” Jiraiya said with a knowing grin before Naruto could even start speaking, “What did Sasuke do this time?”

And so Naruto explained. And he explained everything, from the bet, to how Sasuke had done his makeup, to how they danced, how they _kissed_ \-- and Jiraiya smiled proudly, because he was happy Naruto trusted him enough to tell him that -- to the whole Sakura and Karin ordeal. Then he went into more detail as he told him about the Truth or Dare game, explaining how he didn’t need Sasuke to keep saving him all of his life -- he was getting riled up again, Naruto knew it, and it wouldn’t help anyone.

“I just,” Naruto groaned, “It’s not that I hate that Sasuke’s there for me, I really don’t but…”

“But?”

“I just wish I could do the saving for once.”

Jiraiya looked at him fondly, trying to find some way to help.

“Naruto, do you like Sasuke?” He asked, and Naruto was sure that he didn’t need to answer for Jiraiya to know, but he did anyway.

“Pervy Sage, I think I love him,” he muttered, burying his face on the table, between his arms. “I love him so fucking much.”

Jiraiya sighed. _‘Ah, young love.’_ “Then you should probably talk to him.”

**________________________________________**

On Sunday afternoon he decided he would talk to Sasuke, and he checked his phone for the first time. A few tags in pictures on Instagram, texts from the ones he’d been playing truth or dare with asking if everything was okay, and other random notifications he was too tired to read. He had two messages from Sasuke, one from Saturday at around four in the morning and another one from Sunday at noon.

_**nerd:** i wasn’t lying when i said you saved me too_   
_ Sent: SAT 4:07am _

**_nerd:_ ** _can you call me?  
Sent: SUN 12:26pm_

Naruto sighed and pressed the call button. _‘Here goes… lots of things!’_ he thought, and took a deep breath to calm down. Sasuke picked up almost the second it started ringing, and after two awkward ‘hey’s, they were left in silence.

“You asked me to call you,” Naruto broke the silence, “So… talk.”

_“Right,”_ Sasuke’s voice on the other end of the line sounded raspy, and he coughed a couple of times before he started talking. _“I’m sorry for, uh, not giving you a chance to decide what you wanted to do for yourself.”_

“It’s okay.”

_“Don’t say it’s okay like it didn’t hurt you. You’re right. You’re strong. You don’t need me to save you like a little kid.”_

“Sasuke, I know I said that but,” Naruto sighed, remembering what he’d told Jiraiya the day before, “It’s not bad that I know you’re there for me. That’s actually reassuring, and I appreciate it, I really do, but…”

_“What is it?”_

“I just wish I could return the favor someday, y’know?” Naruto said, a weight lifting off his shoulders, “You said something on your text about it, but I honestly don’t know what you mean-”

 _“Do you seriously not know?”_ Sasuke asked incredulously, and took the silence as an answer, _“Usuratonkachi. You’ve saved me uncountable times. I wake up drenched in sweat after a nightmare where my brother comes to kill me at least twice a month, and you’re always there. And you never even ask anything about it, you let me do whatever I need to do to calm down. I bet you’re not even aware of how much you’ve helped me the past seven years. If anything, I owe you. Just how fucking dumb are you?”_

“Shut up, nerd,” his response came out shaky.

_“Are you crying?”_

“…No,” he heard Sasuke laugh and wiped out some tears. “Hey. Hey Sasuke.”

_“What do you want now?”_

“I really want to say this even though I’ll miss your face, but I guess it’s okay because I really feel like it’s time to tell you. Well, here it goes,” he took a deep breath, as usual, and said, “I like you, I’ve had the _grossest_ , _gayest_ crush for months now and I hope this doesn’t ruin everything because you’re still my best friend and I’d hate to lose you over my stupid feelings but what else can I do? You’re hot. Not just in looks though, I like all of you, but _oh my god will you tell me to shut up already?”_

 _“Naruto,”_ Sasuke cut him off before he could continue rambling, “ _I like you too_.”

“Wait, really? So we’re like, boyfriends now?”

_“Why would I kiss you if I didn’t like you? I like you, somehow, even though you’re dumb as fuck,”_ said Sasuke, proceeding to answer his second question, _“And yes, we can do boyfriends if you want to, usuratonkachi_.”

“Boyfriends it is then.”

**________________________________________**

On Monday, Naruto picked Sasuke up to go to school together. It was no surprise to anyone when the two boys entered Kurenai’s lecture five minutes late, with swollen lips and messy hair.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed it!! i literally spent like 3 months with this. why? well im wondering the same thing.  
> i appreacitate the kudos and comments ♡


End file.
